Plastering lath



H. J. MARK.

PLASTEHING LATH.

APPLICATION FILED Nov. 24, 1920.

Patented Feb. 28, 1922..

UNITED STATE-.s @TENT orifice.

HENRY J. MARK, OF ST. LOIS, MISSOURI.

- PLASTERING LATH.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Feb. 28, 1922.

Application filed November 24,l 1920. Serial No. 426,161.

to which the lath isl nailed, said sheet comprising a plurality of corrugated veneer strips with plane backings and of a length equal to the distance between the centers of adjacent studs, the strips being spaced uniformly apart and connected together by means of a wire to make the sheet flexible,

the sheet being. preferably limited to four,

live, or six foot lengths. The advantages of a sheet lafth as here outlined over the usual construction of lath are (1) the saving of material; (2) a lighter lath; (3) the `lath is quickly applied; (4) it forms a more effective anchor for the plaster; (5) it permitsl of a free circulation of air, thereby making the plaster quick-drying; (6) it ensures a permanently dry coat of plaster; (7) it is an elfective sound deadener; (8) it can be applied by the unskilled laborer; (9) it requires no hair as a binder for the plaster; (10) it permits the use of inexpensive plaster and of a thinner layer of plaster; and finally, the i vention presents further and other advant ges more fully apparent from the followin'g detailed description in connection with the accompanying drawings in which- Figure 1 represents an elevation of a section of a partition wall showing one form of my invention applied thereto; Fig. 2 is a vertical cross-section on the line 2 2 of Fig. l; Fig. 3 is a section similar to Fig. 2 but on a larger scale; Fig. 4 is a perspective of a small section of a lath sheet; and Fig. 5 is a cross-section of a lath showing a slight modification.

Referring to the drawings, and for the present to Figs. 1` to 4 inclusive, S', represents the usual studs to which laths are nailed, as well understood in the art. The improved lath comprises an inner. plane veneer strip 1 and outer corrugated Veneer strips 2, the individual laths being spaced apart a distance not exceeding one-quarter ofl an inc h; one-eighthof an inch being in the majority of cases suliicient. The laths are flexibly connected and held together by two rows of a wire binder, said binder comprising a vpair of wires w passed over the opposite faces of the laths and twisted inthe key -spaces a between the laths, the whole forming a flexible lath sheet that may-bequicklv nailed to the studs. The wrapping of the wire around the lath members and the twisting of the same along the edges of thelaths is preferably done' by machinery. These wire bind-ing machines; are-well known in the art, and there is no necessity to describe the operation of such a-mach-ine in the present connection. In the prevailing constructions of laths the laths ar@J gene-rally spaced at least one-half inch apart so as to provide a firm` key for the plaster. Such a key necessarily entails the consumption of a maximum quantity of plaster, and considerable plaster too is wasted on account of excessive extrusion thereof through the spaces between the laths by the pressure of the trowel applied thereto, theplaster falling behind the laths into the spaces between the studs. With my invention excessive spacing' between the laths for keying the plaster is yunnecessary for the reason that the corrugations .of the outer veneer strip 2 to which I the lplaster P is applied serve as keys for the p laster, this keying being enhanced by cutting the veneer strips so as to cause' the corrugationsto be disposedI at an incline to the longitudinal edges of the strip, this incline being substantially atan angle of from five to ten degrees to the edge of the strip.v With a plane lath as ordinarily constructed not only is a thick key neceary but a thick' layer of' plastering is required so as to hold together, both of ythese objections being avoided by my invention. With the use of a corrugated lath as described a layer of plaster not in excess of one-quarter inch has been found ample in practice, the com aratively narrow spaces a between the aths and the inclined corrugations serving asv ideal .means of anchoring or keying the plastering to the laths. Obviously the corrugations of the outer strips 2 form air passages L with the inner plane stri s l, these air passages permitting air to reely circulate behind the coat of plastering, and not only operating to hasten the d ing of the coat, but ensuring a permanent y dry coat after the same has once thoroughly plying the lathing, the lath tacked at two or more points to the studding so as to ensure the exact position therefor, after which the laths may be quickly nailed to the studs as clearly obvious from the drawings. By reducing the spacinga between the individual laths, very little plaster will be wasted, the key formed by the space a holding together and not readily dropping off the main body of plaster as a result of excessive extrusion under the pressure of the trowel.

` In the form of lath above described, ply a corrugated strip 2 to each face of the plane strip l; but by way of modification I may dispense with 'one of the corrugated strips as shown in Fig. 5, the lath compris. ing a single corrugated strip' 2 with a backing of'a plane veneer strip l. In the latter case the plane strip is directly applied to the studding S. 0f course, whether I dispose a corrugated strip o-n one or both sides of the plane strip, the latter will alwayls form a backing for the corrugated strip.

dried. In apsheet is first IVith two outer corrugated'. strips and an inner plane strip I Y sec-ure a stronger Aor stlffer lath, the same having three thicknesses of veneer as compared with two thick-V nesses Where one of the corrugated strips is dispensed with. `While I preferably employ wood veneer, I may use paper or other suitable material. Referring to F ig. 3, it

will be observed that the wire w spans the depressions between the ridgesv of the corrugations, allowing; the plaster which is applied to the lath to'lodge behind the Wire in the depressions. yIn this way, the wire serves not only as an additional anchor for the plaster, but operates as a reinforcing member therefor.

Having described my invention what I claim is:

A plastering lath sheet comprising a succession of parallel laths spaced apart, each lath comprising an inner p-lane veneer backing strip and outer bounding corrugated veneer strips with corrugations disposed at an tangle to the longitudinal edges of the lath, and a plurality of parallel wire binders disposed across the laths and wrapped around the successive laths and jointedly coupling the same toone another, the wholeforming a fiexible sheet.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature, in presence of two witnesses.

HENRY J. MARK. VVit-nesses:

EMIL STAREK, ELSE M. SIEGEL. 

